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When the peaches come in, our preservation kitchen goes into overdrive. Peaches are high sugar and high acid, which makes them perfect for canning, but that also makes them ideal for homemade peach wine. Once the canned peaches are put up, it’s time to break out the fermenter.
Vermont isn’t exactly the peach capital of the world, but with selective breeding practices, there are now new peach varieties for our zone 4 climates. I’m really excited, and I even have a few neighbors that have tasted their own homegrown peaches already. Our trees are still tiny sticks, but that doesn’t stop us from preserving a few crates of peaches from Pennsylvania Amish Country every year.
Home-canned peaches line our shelves, but I’ve also started canning peach pie filling, peach jam and peach scrap jelly from all the peels. Still, there’s only so much jam and preserves my family can eat in a year, so of course, I had to try my hand at homemade peach wine.
In the past, I’ve tried to use a small home juicer to extract peach juice for wine, but since peaches are so soft it just results in a peach puree. There’s a reason they don’t sell jugs of peach juice at the store, it comes out more like nectar than a straight juice. There is another way though…
This year I’m using a sugar juicing technique that I learned making rhubarb wine. Start by chopping the peaches and then pack them in sugar. The sugar will pull out the juice and break down the peach cells, making the juice more digestible for wine yeast.
When you first add the sugar to the peaches it’ll look a bit absurd. The peaches are more or less lost in the sugar, and it’s hard to imagine how this will turn into a juice. Patience…
All that sugar is doing the work for you, and within a few minutes, the peaches are already releasing their juice. After about an hour, a jar of sugared peaches has been transformed into a jar of sugar-sweetened juice perfect for peach wine.
I was a bit hesitant to add too much sugar because I didn’t want to overwhelm the peach flavor. When I make my homemade peach jam, I use very little sugar to avoid overwhelming the peach flavor. My husband disagreed, and though he usually prefers dry wines, he thought a dry peach wine would be pretty unappealing. There has to be enough sugar in the fermenter to both create alcohol and leave a good bit of residual sweetness in the peach wine.
I went ahead and added a full 3lbs of sugar the first time I made peach wine, at his sweet suggestion. I’m using a champagne yeast with a high alcohol tolerance and though I didn’t measure the specific gravity, by taste and effect I’d say the finished wine came out both highly alcoholic and quite sweet. It’s VERY easy drinking, and you’re liable to end in a bit of trouble when you look over and the bottle’s empty before you know it.
For that reason, I’ve listed a sugar range on this recipe between 2lbs and 3lbs. Usually, I make fruit wines with 2 to 2.5 lbs of sugar per gallon, and peaches are quite sweet. Two pounds should yield a tasty balanced wine that’s not too sweet, and if you think it’s too dry for your palate when it’s finished fermenting you can always back sweeten it.
After I juiced the peaches with sugar, the remaining pulp was so pulverized that I just tossed it into the fermenter. I didn’t want to waste that peach flavor, but that was a mistake. Once the peach wine began fermenting, the pulp all floated to the top. While it looked pretty pulverized when I poured it in, it quickly formed a dense mat at the top of the fermenter. Next time, I won’t add in the peach pulp, just the sugar extracted juice.
In my case, it worked out just fine and that peach pulp never managed to clog the water lock and create a big mess. There was enough headspace, and I poped it open to shove the peach chunks down a few times (with a sterilized implement). No worries, and no trouble, but I still will filter out the pulp next time.
In this peach wine recipe, I’m using the same yeast that I generally use for my small-batch meads. It’s Premier Blanc wine yeast which used to be called champagne yeast. It has a high alcohol tolerance and produces tiny bubbles in the finished wine like champagne. Since this type of yeast is often used to restart sluggish fermentation, it’s also a great choice if you want to make sure a homemade wine gets started right the first time.
Feel free to choose a different wine yeast, but be sure to dissolve the yeast in water and allow it to bloom for 5-10 minutes before adding it into the peach wine base. The yeast granules are hibernating and throwing them right into a sugary solution before allowing them to rehydrate can shock the yeast.
Other than wine yeast purchased specifically for home brewing, I generally like to make wine with what I have in my kitchen. I avoid yeast energizers, acid blends, tannin powders and the like. For acid, I add in a bit of lemon juice. For tannin, I’ll add in a few currant leaves or grape leaves, or a black tea bag. I like to let my wines ferment completely and then carbonate slightly in the bottle, rather than ending the fermentation with Camden tablets.
That said, winemaking additives do have their place and they make a far more reliable brew than kitchen pantry alternatives. If you do want to use winemaking additives instead, here’s where to find them:
- Pectic Enzyme for breaking open the peach fruit cells and help the natural pectin to separate and settle. Use about 1/2 tsp per gallon.
- An acid blend to decrease the overall pH. How much to add depends on the type of wine, and here’s a good primer on using acid blends in home winemaking.
- Yeast Nutrient to feed the little beasties and give them the micronutrients that help them thrive. Add 1 tsp per gallon of wine.
- Tannin to give the sweet wine a bit of astringency and balance the flavor. A little goes a long way, and 1/8 to 1/4 tsp is all you need.
- Potassium Sorbate and Camden tablets (potassium metabisulfite) to completely end the fermentation and stabilize the wine before bottling for a still wine with no carbonation.
In some of my homemade wines, I make a conscious choice to use winemaking chemicals, as I did in this lemon wine. I wanted a really clean flavor, so instead of raisins, I added yeast nutrient. That said, I’ve never used potassium sorbate or Camden tablets. I have no desire to eat preservatives in my food, and I’m not happy when they sneak into my favorite foods. There’s no way I’m going to consciously put them into my homemade wine.
To get started brewing, the only specialized equipment and ingredients you need is the wine yeast, a carboy, rubber stopper, and an airlock. This kit has everything you need except the yeast for about $10. Beyond that, an Auto Siphon is wicked helpful for bottling and worth the investment if you plan on making more than one batch of homebrew in your lifetime.
The whole process for making peach wine is pretty simple. Place the sugar juiced peaches, lemon juice, tannin source, and water are in the fermenter and seal it with a water lock. Allow it to bubble away for about 10-14 days. This is known as primary fermentation and is the most active stage of fermentation. The bubbles should be coming strong, and the water lock will be burping almost continuously once the ferment gets going.
Once things settle down after the primary fermentation step, siphon the wine over into a clean container, leaving any sediment behind. This is where it’s really helpful to have a second fermentation vessel. Racking the wine into secondary it’s strictly required, but it is highly recommended. All the sediment at the bottom can create off-flavors in a finished wine, and it’s best to move the wine off of them if possible. Racking the wine into secondary also helps it clear.
If you choose not to rack, know that any chunks of peaches in the wine can cause contamination over long periods of time. They’re fine in there for just the primary ferment, but after that, anything above the waterline may mold and should be removed. If you’re not going to rack the wine into secondary, make sure you’ve really filtered out all the peach chunks before the wine goes into the carboy.
Once the wine is in secondary, allow it to bubble away for at least 6 weeks until fermentation slows or stops. More time isn’t harmful, provided the water lock still has water in it and stays sealed (it can evaporate if left for extended periods). Leaving the wine in secondary for 3-6 months will actually improve its flavor, and if you’re patient I’d suggest that route.
Either way, after a secondary of at least 6 weeks (or 6 months), us an Auto Siphon to bottle the wine, leaving the yeast sediment behind. You can re-use wine bottles from previous batches, but be sure to clean them out thoroughly with a one-step sanitizer. Always use new corks when bottling (and a wine bottle corker). If you don’t have a bunch of wine bottles on hand (or you’re not confident that you can get them really clean), they’re also available here.
Allow the peach wine to bottle age for at least a month, but preferably a year or more for best flavor.
Peach Wine
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs peaches, chopped
- 2-3 lbs sugar
- 1/8 tsp Tannin Powder, or 1 Cup of Strongly Brewed Black Tea
- 2 tsp Acid Blend, or 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient, or 1/8 cup raisins
- 1 packet Premier Blanc Wine Yeast
Instructions
- Chop the peaches into a large bowl or half-gallon mason jar. Cover the peach slices with sugar, and stir every few minutes. The sugar will extract the peach juice in about 1-2 hours.
- Drain the peach juice into a fermentation vessel, and then use water to wash the peach pulp to remove the last bits of sugar and peach juice. Pour the water through a fine-mesh strainer and fill the fermenter to about 3/4 full, leaving space for the remaining ingredients.
- Brew a cup of strong black tea, remove the tea bag and add about 1/2 cup of the strongly brewed black tea into the fermenter. (Or just add winemaking tannin.)
- Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice into the fermenter. (Or just add 2 tsp acid blend for winemaking)
- Add raisins or yeast nutrient, but keep in mind if you add raisins they will float and you must filter them out before secondary to prevent surface mold down the line.
- Open the yeast packet and allow it to bloom in about 1/4 cup of lukewarm water for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the yeast into the fermenter. One packet is enough for 5 gallons of wine, so you can save some for other batches, or use the whole thing if you're not planning any other brewing in the near future.
- Add water to fill the fermenter to within a few inches of the top. Cap with a rubber stopper and give the whole thing a shake, careful not to drop it. Or, for the more conservative, use the handle of a long kitchen spoon to stir it up.
- Cap with an airlock and allow the mixture to ferment for about 10-14 days. When the fermentation begins to slow, siphon the mixture over into a clean carboy, leaving any sediment behind.
- Re-cap with a water lock and ferment for at least another 6 weeks, preferably longer such as 3 to 6 months. It may finish and clarify sooner, depending on your local temperature.
- Bottle the peach wine in clean, sterilized wine bottles with corks. Allow the peach wine to bottle age for at least 1 month, but preferably up to a year before drinking.
Notes
More Winemaking Recipes
Looking for more easy winemaking recipes? Try any of these homemade country wines:
Could this stuff age for too long? Will it go bad?
In the fermenter, if the water lock remains sealed (ie. all the water doesn’t evaporate), the wine can stay in secondary for years and be just fine assuming it wasn’t contaminated at some other stage in the process. If you have floating chunks of peaches in the wine, those need to be filtered out after the primary ferment. Anything floating above the water line can mold and could cause the wine to spoil. Assuming you’ve racked the wine after the primary fermentation step and filtered out the fruit chunks, the wine can keep in secondary for a very long time. Once bottled, assuming everything was clean and you’re using corked wine bottles, this wine can keep in the bottle for many years and actually improve with age.
And say someone wanted to further the process and age the wine in an oak barrel. Would you suggest further applications of something like sulfites?
Honestly, I’ve never done either so I can’t advise. The only oaking I’ve ever done is with oak chips in secondary, mostly for beer, which always turned out lovely.
I don’t drink caffine yet I really wanted to make this. Could I use raisins instead of the tea and if so how many?
The black tea is for added tannin, which helps balance out the flavor in peach wine. It’s not strictly required, and you can just skip it, though it will alter the flavor and mouthfeel. If you’re looking for an alternative, try tannin powder (it’s a winemaking chemical). If you have them available, a handful of black currant leaves is another traditional way to add tannins to homemade wine and works really well.
Do you peel and take the seed out of the peaches? I may have missed this part in the directions 🙂
I don’t peel them, but I did remove the seeds because mine were freestone so the seeds came out easily. I don’t think that’s strictly nessisary though.
Do you primary ferment in the demijohn with an airlock? Mine is too active and keeps overflowing D:
How about 6-5 gallons? I never make small batches. Always use chemicals. Am intrigued with the tea bags and grape leaves. So would i use 5 tea bags? Etc….. When ive used chemicals and was told to double ot triple it always seemed to much. Had a bounty of peaches in 2018 and froze some now i want to make peach wine
Thanks
SK
Yes, you can just multiply this recipe for a full 5 or 6-gallon batch. When you’re brewing with an alternate tannin source things are a bit less exact. I updated the recipe to be a bit clearer, and instead of using 1 tea bag I now have it say to add 1/2 cup (4oz) strongly brewed black tea. Some people will have you add 6 or 8 ounces of strong black tea to a one-gallon batch, so that’s where the subjective part comes in. Adding more tea means more tannin, but it’ll also potentially add a tea taste to the final brew depending on the type of tea you’re using.
Do you add the peach pulp as well as the juice to the primary fermentation vessel? Trying to scale this down to a 1 quart batch and was wondering if the chopped fruit is added as well.
Do you eyeball the water that is added?
I regret adding the peach pulp to this batch, and it meant a lot of babysitting a clogged waterlock. Especially in a quart batch, where the pulp would take up a lot of the volume in the jar, I’d filter out the pulp. Pour the extracted peach juice into the primary fermenter, and then add water to the pulp to wash it of any last bits of juice and pour that in to top off the jar. Yes, eyeball the water added. In a quart jar, leave about 1 inch of headspace, which is roughly where the threads stop on the jar neck.
Hi, I really enjoyed your articles on home wine making, and have my first batch of apple wine in-progress. Do you have a recipe for Concord grape wine? Preferably gallon size batch? Having a hard time finding anything on the internet.
I found this recipe for a 5-gallon batch. Maybe this will be a good place for you to start.
You forgot to add the link to the recipe. LOL
Ooops. I hate it when that happens. LOL. I am not sure where the other recipe is but I actually found a one-gallon recipe this time so maybe it was meant to be. https://www.homebrewit.com/blogs/news/concord-grape-wine-recipe
For a small batch (smaller fermenting vessel) I would recommend leaving out the pulp. For larger fermenting vessels (5 gallons and up) mix in some bentonite and the pulp will soon settle at the bottom instead of floating at the top. I initially ha this problem with my cherry wine, but after adding 2 tbsp to my 5 gallon mixture the pulp sank to the bottom and was easily separated when racking for secondary fermentation / aging.
Hope this helps for those who like to add the pulp for flavoring during the primary fermentation.
Good day
i would like to try your home made peach wine recipe can i use instant dry yeast that we make bread with if i don’t get wine yeast?
nontsiki@live.co.za
That will make wine, but the yeast choice really impacts the taste. If you brew with bread yeast, the finished wine will actually have a strange almost bread like taste believes it or not. A better option is to make a wild yeast starter, and there are instructions for that here: https://www.growforagecookferment.com/how-to-make-a-wild-yeast-starter/
I would use a champagne wine yeast, or a fruit wine yeast such as Lalvin K1-V1116
This is for a 1 gallon batch?
Do you know the approximate abv?
Yup, this is a one-gallon batch. We used to measure abv, but stopped doing that years ago because we found that some batches just hit us harder than others, regardless of actual abv. A measurement just meant false confidence, at least in our house. For me, the peach wine hit me hard and I have to be careful with it.
At what point should I add the camden tablet if i decide to use it to stop fermentation?
You can add it at any point during the secondary fermentation when you decide to bottle. If you want more residual sugars in your peach wine, add it earlier, but generally, it’s added when fermentation slows to a near stop anyway. The tablet just ensures a still wine in the bottle with no carbonation (and no yeast sediment).
Pectic enzyme. Peptic would be entirely wrong.
Very yummy pics.
Thanks for catching that! Fixed.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I used the home grown green peaches for this and followed the mentioned steps. In hour or two the bubble airlock filled with water got the color of the peach solution in the vessel. Please could you advise what can be the probable cause for it. Is it normal or I did something wrong.
Best regards,
Hitesh
It’s fine, it just means that it bubbled up in to the airlock. You can remove it and clean it out if you wish.
Thank you for the recipe!
Can this be made with purchased frozen peaches that have been thawed poor to adding the sugar?
You need to do this as a small batch.
You mean a 1-quart batch? Easy enough, just divide the recipe by 4 =) I just put up a general post on making small-batch wines, and that should help you make a micro-batch out of just about anything: https://practicalselfreliance.com/small-batch-wine/
Hi Ashley,
I love your blog and I’ve just begun this process. My question is that should I begin to see bubbling right away? Because, if so, I’m not. My yeast has a date of 2024 on it and I used some recently to make Dandelion Wine and it was fine. Just wanted to know what I should expect to see and how soon. I also opted to use my crock for the initial fermentation with peaches left in.
Thanks!
Sharon
You should start seeing bubbles within a day or two. If you have not seen any yet, you may need some warmer temperatures. The warmer the temperature, the faster the fermentation.
Hi Ashley,
I wanted to say thank you for your blog, it’s one of the more comprehensive and practical sites that I use. Keep up this content!!! Lastly, I wanted to inquire of you about black tea recommendations, which (tea bags) do you use? Is there a similar brand that you’d recommend if the one you use isn’t available in my area? Thank you again for your time and efforts!
You’re just using them as a tannin source, so I go with cheap and harsh…namely Lipton black tea. It has a lot of tannins, but not a whole lot of flavor (in my opinion). We buy a huge box Lipton tea bags to use to make sun tea in the summertime, and then I always have a few on hand for winemaking.
you don’t get to stomp around making demands, hon. lol.